Parashat Vayigash

Parashat Vayigash
Genesis 44:18-47:27; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Philippians 2:1-11

Hosea 11:1 says “out of Egypt, I called my son”. All the Patriarchs went down to Egypt and then, came out again. Israel came down into Egypt numbering 70 individuals in total and emerged some 400 odd years later as a nation possible 2-3 million strong. And of course, Yeshua Himself went down to Egypt. And so, what we have is multiple fulfillments of the same prophecy! Now, it was Jacob's turn to come down to Egypt.

In Ezekiel 38, HaShem says to Gog and Magog that he would put a hook in their jaw and draw them down to the Promised Land, there to judge them. Similarly, G-d now causes a devastating famine to break out across the face of the earth in order to force Jacob and his family to come down to Egypt which was awash in grain because of the 7 years of abundant harvests.  The amazing thing is that all the grain never rotted or became infested with weevils which is quite remarkable considering the hot weather in Egypt.
Because of the severity of the famine, people came from far and wide to buy food and after they had exchanged all their money for grain, they then used precious metals and jewels in order to continue purchasing grain. Soon, the coffers of Egypt overflowed with money, with cattle, silver, with gold and with precious jewels. Why does Torah mention this detail?

Because G-d promised Abraham in Genesis 15 that after their time of enslavement was up, they would emerge from Egypt was great possessions.  ‘the Egyptians had articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians” (Exod 12:35-36).

And so, when they received the instruction to build the Tabernacle, they had all the materials they needed. Once again, we see the Hand of G-d directing the affairs of man, for he alone knows the end from the beginning.

Now, because of the famine, the brothers travelled to Egypt twice in order to purchase grain. When they stood before Joseph the first time, he immediately recognized them but they did not recognize him which is quite understandable because he looked just like an Egyptian. It is a foreshadowing of why the Jewish people don’t recognize Yeshua today; He looks like a gentile Christian rather than the Jewish rabbi that He is!

The 2nd time the brothers came to purchase grain, Joseph instructed his servant to hide his drinking cup in Benjamin’s sack and then sent his servants to chase after them and confront them with their dastardly deed. The entire caravan was forced to return to Egypt and face Joseph.

Our parasha commences with Judah approaching Joseph to intercede on behalf of
the brothers’ and plead for mercy.
Gen 44:18
18  Then Judah went up or drew near to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

In Gen 37:26-27, it was Judah who intervened to save Joseph from being killed by the brothers and at his urging, instead, they sold Joseph to a passing band of Ishmaelite traders. Now, the Hebrew word for ‘came or draw near’ is ‘nagash’ which can have several nuanced meanings:
• Said Rabbi Judah: The verb "he approached" (vayigash) implies an approach to battle, as in the verse (II Samuel 10:13), "So Joab and the people that were with him approached unto battle."

• Rabbi Nechemiah said: The verb "he approached" implies a coming near for conciliation, as in the verse (Joshua 14:6), "Then the children of Judah approached Joshua."

• The Sages said: It implies coming near for prayer, as in the verse (I Kings, 18:36), "And it came to pass at the time of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet approached..."

• it is used to speak of the priests "coming into the presence of" God.
Ezek 44:15-16 – “….the priests …. are to come near to minister before me”.

So, when Judah drew near to the 2nd most powerful man in Egypt, he had no idea of the potential outcome. We see a similar idea in the book of Esther. When the plot hatched by Hamman is discovered, Esther’s uncle Mordechai insists that she must approach the king but Esther is reluctant for fear of being struck down, for she could only approach her husband the king if he extended his golden scepter toward her.

And so, although uncertain of the outcome, Judah offers himself as a prisoner in Benjamin’s place.
33 "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a  slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?"

This in itself revealed that Judah was deeply remorseful. When they sold Joseph to a passing caravan of Ishmaelite traders, they were not at all mindful of the grief it would cause their father. They went even further by pretending that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal and still, no remorse at all for the agony and grief they caused their father. But, now, Judah is a changed person and he was willing to offer himself in Benjamin’s place so as not to compound Jacob’s misery!

We clearly see ‘shadows’ of Messiah throughout this story. Even as Judah was willing to offer himself in the place of his brother, so too was Yeshua willing to offer His life in the place of His brothers after the flesh – the Jewish people!

The medieval sage, Abrabenel, says that G-d deals with man measure for measure: because Judah had sold Joseph into slavery, he was now compelled to offer himself to Joseph as a slave. Later in our story, the highlight of this unfolding drama is the reconciliation and the restoration between the brothers.

And it is this reconciliation that is so exciting and generates hope for the future even in the midst of the current turmoil in the Land! It foreshadows the reconciliation between Israel and the nations, and Yeshua and his own brothers-after-the-flesh, the Jewish people!

In this context, we can more fully understand Sha’ul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1-0:11 that ‘these things happened to them for our instructions upon whom the end of the ages have come”. Torah is the foundation upon which all is built. I’m reminded of that old adage: “the new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed”. This is why the study of Torah is so crucial. We study what happened to Israel and we understand that these are the shadows that point to Messiah!